Hydroponic gardening device



1951 P. D. MERRILL 2,983,076

HYDROPONIC GARDENING DEVICE Filed June 29, 1959 INVENTOR.

HYDRGPONIC. GARDENING DEVICE Patterson D. Merrill, 1721 Hillsdale Road,South 'Bend, Ind.

Filed June 2d, 1959, Ser. No. 823,580 7 Claims. (Cl. 47-1.2)

This invention relates to improvements in hydroponic gardening devices,and more panticularly to a small portable device of this character whichcan be used in, a home' The primary object of this invention is toprovide a device of this character which is simple in construction,light in weight, easy to operate, and elfective for its intended purposeA further object is to provide a device of this character which isformed from a foamed unicellular plastic material acconnuodatingdetachable connection of fittings thereto with a leakprocf arrangementto accommodate controlled application of liquid and of air underpressure to the device during use thereof.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a falsebottom having an opening with which a tubecommunicates to extenddownwardly to a level adjacentto the bottom of the device, which falsebottom supports granular material above the level of a supply of liquidcontained in the chamber below the false bottom and subject to airpressure selectively generated by manually operable pump meanscommunicating therewith and releasable by disconnection of thepressure-generating means I erefrom.

'A further object is to provide a device of this character having afalse bottom defining a liquid-confining chamber provided with anopening adjacent its lower end in which is friction-ally received insealed relation one end of a tube normally extending upwardlyand formedof transparent material to sender visible to view the level of theliquid therein as a gauge of a level of the liquid in the evice, saidtube being rotatable to downwardly extending position for the purpose ofserving as a drain to remove liquid from the chamber.

, v Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing:

Figure l is atop plan view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the device taken online 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig.2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of the air pressuregenerating means taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. 7

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, the numeral 10 designates a container which is open atits top and is provided with a bottom wall 12, opposed end walls 14preferably upwardly and outwardly inclined, and opposed side Walls 16,also preferably upwardly and outwardly inclined. The walls 14 and 16 arepreferably of lesser thickness at their upper end port ons to defineshoulders 18 lying in a common plane and providing support for ahorizontal partition or false bottom 20 located at approfimatelymidheight of the container ill. The container 10 is preferably providedwith a top marginal rim 22 of increased thickness. False bottom 20 isprovided with a central States PatentO 2 opening communicating with theupper end of an elongated vertical tube 24 which preferably terminatesadjacent to and slightly above the upper surface of the bottom wall 12of the container.

The container with its bottom, side and end walls and its rim portion 22is preferably molded to constitute an integral one-piece structure. Thematerial employed is preferably a unicellular foam type plastic orsynthetic resin. One such plastic is a styrene foam. T he unicellularfoam plastic is characterized by non-communicating voids thereinextending substantially uniformly therethrough to produce a lightweight, non-porous structure. The plastic is shape-retaining but iscompressible, in at least a measure. The false bottom 20 and the conduitmay be formed of any materialfound suitable, including the sameunicellular foam material, if that is desired, in which event the pants20 and 24 may be formed integrally, as by molding. The margin of thefalse bottom 20 rests upon the shoulder 18 and is preferablycontinuously cemented thereon to provide an airtight joint between thefalse bottom and the walls of the container. there is a substantiallyairtight seal or union between the false bottom 2% and the upper end ofthe tube 24.

The false bottom 20 is preferably provided with an elongatedlongitudinal central recess 26, and the tube 24 communicates with thisrecess. The recess 26 receives a reticulated panel 28, such as screeningsulficiently fine to support thereon a body of gravel 30, such as peagravel, which covers the false bottom 20 to any desired depth. Thescreening 28 serves to retain the gravel and prevent it from passingthrough tube 24.

One of the upright walls of the container 20, here shown as one of theend walls 14, is provided with a passage 32 extending therethrough atapproximately the level of the top surface of the bottom wall 12. Withinthis aperture 32 is inserted with a press fit one end or leg portion 34of a tube formed of glass or other transparent material and preferablyof L-shape and including an elongated portion 36 extending substantiallyat right angles to the tube part 34. The tube part 36 is of such lengththat when it is positioned to extend vertically upwardly, it will extendto a level equal to or above the top edge of the container-10. Thediameter of the tube part 34 at its outer surface is slightly greaterthan the diameter of the bore :32 inwhich it is pressed, and in thepreferred form the diameter of the bore 32 will be approximatelyone-sixteenth inch less than the outer diameter of the tube 34. The tube34, '36 will be open at both ends thereof.

A passageway extends through one of the upright walls of the containerat a level below and adjacent to the false bottom 20. As here shown,this passage is moldedv in one of the end walls 14 and comprises anelongated passage portion 40 open at its upper end at the top edge ofthe container and extending to a position spaced below the level of theshoulder 18. A short transverse passage portion 42 communicates with thelower end of the passage 40 and opens into the interior of thecontainer. Adjacent its upper end the passage 40 communicates with apassage 44 extending laterally in the rim portion 22 and open at theouter edge of said rim. A plug 4-6 is inserted in and forms a seal inthe upper part of the passage 40 above the level of the transversepassage 44. A fitting 48 is provided with a tapered end portion 50having a slight or gradual taper and an exterior diameter slightlylarger than the diameter of thebore 44 to accommodate a snug sealed fitofthe fitting part or member 56 in said bore by simply pressing upon thefitting to wedge it in said bore 44. The fitting has a bore extendingtherethrough and has an outer reduced diameter end portion 52 upon whichis mounted one end of a flexible conduit 54, such as a rubber tube. The

Similarly,

opposite end of the tube 54 mounts a check valve 56, here illustrated ashaving a valve seat 58 at one end thereof, against which a valve element60 is pressed by a spring 62. A rubber bulb 64 is mounted on the housingof the check valve 66 at one end thereof. The other end of the bulb 64mounts a second check valve 66 having an air intake 68 against which avalve member 70 is normally pressed by a spring 72.

In the use of the device, a quantity of water is supplied to the devicehaving dissolved therein a suitable plant nutrient. The quantity ofwater supplied is less than required to fill the chamber below the falsebottom 20 to the level of the passage 42 but more than required to fillit to a level substantially above the outlet 32. The tube 34, 36 ispositioned to extend upwardly as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2.Granular material, such as gravel 30, of the desired depth is placed inthe upper part of the container, and seeds are sown in said granularmaterial or living plants, such as flowers or vegetables, are set insaid granular material. The device is then ready for use consistent withthe basic principle of hydroponic devices. This principle is that plantroots growing in granular material, such as gravel, are nourishedperiodically by wetting the gravel with water enriched by proper plantnutrients, which water is then drained therefrom so that the plant rootsare exposed to the air which replaces the water drained from the gravel.

This principle of operation is accomplished in the present device byrepeatedly squeezing the bulb 64 to pump air under pressure into theliquid-containing chamber while the tube 54 and the fitting 48 areconnected to the device as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this connectionobserve that compression of the bulb 64 by a squeezing action unseatsthe valve member 60 against the action of the spring 62 and forces airfrom the bulb into conduit 54. Subsequent release of pressure on thebulb 64 to permit it to expand results in reseating of the valve 60 bythe spring 62, and, creation of a subatmospheric pressure within theexpanding bulb 64. A pressure differential between atmospheric pressureand the sub-atmospheric pressure in the bulb is sutficient to permitunseating of the valve 70, so that air may enter the bulb 64 as itexpands. When expansion of the bulb 64 cnds, the spring 72 again comesinto play to reseat the valve member 70. Repeated squeezing of the bulb64 thus results in an air-pumping operation which generates a sufficientair pressure between the false bottom 20 and the top of the liquid inthe lower chamber of the device to displace that liquid downwardly inthe bottom chamber of the device so as to force liquid into the bottomof the tube 24 for flow upwardly therein and into the gravel 30supported by the false bottom 20, and also up in the tube 36 to the samelevel. This pumping operation can continue until sufficient liquid hasbeen displaced to completely wet the gravel bed 30 or to wet it to anyselected level as seen by viewing the sight glass 36. The liquid is thendrained from the device by the simple expedient of removing the fitting48 from its receiving bore 44 so that said bore is opened to atmosphereand the air pressure in the lower part of the device bearing upon theliquid is relieved so that the liquid may flow back into the lowerchamber of the device by gravity.

When it is desired to drain the device, tube 36 can be swung to thedotted line position shown in Fig. 2 to project downwardly relative tothe part 34, whereupon the liquid will flow from the device freely asaccommodated by the fact that air may enter the lower liquid chamberthrough the tube 24 and the granular material thereabove.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be understood that changes in the construction may bemade within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit of the invention.

'1 claim:

1. A hydroponic gardening device comprising a container open at its topand having a bottom and upright walls, a partition spanning saidcontainer spaced above said bottom to define a liquid chamber, saidpartition having an aperture therein and a marginal sealed connectionwith said container, at reticulated member spanning said aperture, anupright tube depending from said partition in communication with saidaperture and terminating adjacent to but spaced above said containerbottom, a passage in an upright container wall communicating with theupper part of said liquid chamber, means for supplying air underpressure through said passage, a second passage in an upright containerwall communicating with the lower part of said liquid chamber, and anopen ended tube having one end seated in said second passage and anangularly extending opposite transparent end portion. I

2. A hydroponic gardening device as defined in claim 1, wherein saidcontainer is formed of shape-retaining unicellular synthetic resinhavinga measure of compressibility, said last named tube being of a diameterlarger than the diameter of the second passage and having a pressedsealed fit therein.

3. A hydroponic gardening device as defined in claim 1, wherein saidcontainer is formed of non-porous foamed plastic and said tube has asealed pressed fit in said second passage accommodating rotation thereofto and positioning thereof in any selected angular relation.

4. A hydroponic gardening device as defined in claim 1, wherein said airsupply means includes an air pump, a conduit and a fitting on saidconduit removably mounted in said first passage with a sealed fit.

5. A hydroponic gardening device as defined in claim 1, wherein saidcontainer is formed of non-porous foamed plastic and said air supplymeans includes an air pump with an outlct fitting having a press fit insaid first passage.

6. A hydroponic gardening device comprising a container having a bottomand upright walls, said container being formed of unicellular foamedsynthetic resin having a measure of compressibility, a partition havingan aperture therein and spanning and connected to said upright walls toform a liquid chamber therebelow, a conduit depending from saidpartition in communication with said aperture and terminating adjacentand spaced from said bottom, upper and lower apertures in said uprightwalls, an air pump having an outlet member releasably wedged in saidupper opening, and an L-shaped open ended conduit having an end portionrotatably mounted in said lower opening with a pressed sealed fit and anopposite transparent end portion.

7. A hydroponic gardening device as defined in claim 1, wherein saidconduit portion is of larger diameter than said lower opening and saidpump fitting has a tapered end seated in said upper opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,940,044 Brandt Dec. 19, l933 2,241,699 Cooper May 13, 1941 2,600,718Wilson June 17, 1952 2,870,574 Sheridan Jan. 27, 1959 2,879,627Hollander Mar. 31, 1959

